


Charcoal

by Octogator



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Curious Art Nerd Reader, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, I wrote a sin, No ecto donger, Oneshot, Other, Pillow Prince Sans, Readers junk is never mentioned/specified., Sensitive bones, Soul Sex, This probably counts as porn, Touching, sort of, tagging is hard, this is a gift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 17:55:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5711689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Octogator/pseuds/Octogator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You go to a burlesque show to draw the performers. Instead you end up making friends with a punny skeleton monster who fills you with Inspiration. You lure him back to your apartment with offers of katsup and beer so that you can draw more of him.</p>
<p>Well, you would have if you didn't get distracted.</p>
<p>(This is a late Christmas/mid January gift fic for my lovely editor <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/maybeapples/pseuds/maybeapples">Maybeapples</a>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charcoal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maybeapples](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybeapples/gifts).



> This is a gift for the spectacular [Maybeapples](http://archiveofourown.org/users/maybeapples/pseuds/maybeapples) who takes my trash and edits it to be readable for you guys!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this little one-shot as much as I enjoyed writing it!

The room was dark, the only light coming from the stage and a few tea lights scattered around the tables. You had stolen the candle from the empty table next to you so you could have enough light to properly see your sketch pad. 

The bar was almost full. There were only a few tables facing the stage that were empty - several near the back and the one next to you. The one you stole the candle from. It was business as usual for whenever they put on one of these shows. 

The music was fun and jazzy while people prepared the stage. The show wasn’t due to start for another ten minutes or so. Humans and a few monsters were all fairly excited, joking, flirting and enjoying the atmosphere while they waited. The cheer of the bar and excitement for the show seemed to be making the two groups a bit more friendly to each other than usual. At least, nobody was outwardly hostile.

You wondered if there would be any monster performers this time? Apparently, during one of the shows you missed there had been one.

Monsters intrigued you.  It was exciting to think about how many different shapes there could be. It made your fingers itch to draw them, figure out how to capture them on your paper. 

The lights dimmed and you checked your supplies. Pencils, charcoal, even a few graphite sticks. Everything you would need to capture the dancers in quick and loose gestures.

If any of the sketches spoke to you, you would go back to them latter. Between the breaks or after the show.

You turned to a fresh page and took a sip of your drink. You couldn’t help the smile that played on your lips as the alcohol burned your tongue. 

As a sultry song started to play and the first dancer took the stage you were filled with inspiration. 

Four pages later, you were on your second drink. It might have been the third dancer? 

The air was charged with cheer and just a hint of sexual tension with the songs and the suggestive movements on the stage.

This dancer was different. This one was a monster.

A cute pudgy cat man took the stage looking a bit nervous. He was dressed in yellow and red lace and silk. He was adorable and you barely looked at your page as your hand moved. A blue rabbit cheered from the front and the cat seemed to perk up, striking a pose as the song started.

It was something as he moved, stripped and teased to the music. You filled up more pages then you had of any of the other dancers - his movements were so different. Graceful in an offbeat way. 

His song finished and the room cheered. He seemed so flustered and embarrassed, but very into it. Once he left the stage, the blue rabbit scooped him up, and you found yourself sketching out something a bit more intimate than the dance, adding the rabbit to the last page.

The two monsters were adorable as they returned to their seat, practically cuddling. It brought a flush to your face, and you felt just a tad ashamed for spying on their cute moment. You took a drink to hide the stupid smile on your face as you waited for the next performer. 

“heh, you blush at cuddling but not the show itself?” You jumped and nearly spit out your drink at the sudden deep voice beside you; you hadn’t heard anyone take the seat next to you.

You managed to avoid your sketch book and get your drink back on the table before you started to cough. A firm hand, probably belonging to the voice, patted your back until you had control of yourself again.

“jez kid, didn’t mean to rattle your bones like that.” As the hand retreated with a chuckle, you turned to get a good look at the man beside you.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. He wasn’t a man… well, he was, you were pretty sure. But he was a monster, a skeleton one. 

You could tell he was shorter than average, even though he was sitting down. But he was also broder. He was wearing a large puffy blue jacket and a grey turtleneck underneath, black basketball shorts and… pink bunny slippers. 

It was interesting attire, to say the least, and before you realized it, you were turning to a new page of your sketchbook.

When your eyes returned to his face you found him grinning at you. Well, he was a skeleton, he couldn't really do anything besides grin, could he? It's not like skulls were that expressive. Then again… this skull just waggled one of its eyebrows at you.

And you were blushing again, great. At least it was probably dark enough that he wouldn’t notice.

His eyebrows rose and his grin widened. Shit, he noticed.

“what's wrong, monster got your tongue?”

“N-no! Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare! I’ve… um… never meet a skeleton monster before.” You stammered.

“Chill, kid, it’s snow problem. I’m used to it by now.” He gave a shrug and extended a hand to you. “Sans The Skeleton, ice to meet you.” His grin seemed impossibly wide as you reached out to take his hand.

**PFFFFFFFFRrrrRRrrbbbppphhhhhh~**

That was it, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. You curled forward and started to outright cackle. The cool indifferent way he had delivered those puns had made it torture to try to hold back a laugh. But a whoopie cushion. A WHOOPIE CUSHION? This guy was alright by you.

You’d tell him, but you were to busy trying to force air in your lungs through all the laughter. He was laughing, too, and patting your back again. You straightened yourself and wiped your eyes. You realized the two of you had made just a bit of a scene and earned a few glares from nearby tables.

You realized you were still holding his hand and instead of releasing it you pulled it closer, turning his hand to the light for inspection.

“A whoopie cushion?” That nearly took your everything not to start laughing again as you shot him a questioning look and arched an eyebrow.

“heh, don’t knock the classics.” He wiggled his fingers in your hold and you finally gave him back his hand. 

You glanced at the stage. It was a performer you recognized, one that… has improved, but never quite sparked your urge to draw them, so you turned back to the skeleton beside you, offering your name.

“why’s a cute kid like you sitting in the back hunched over a notebook anyway? everyone else is flirting and drinking. enjoying the show,” he asked once he felt your eyes back on him.

“I’m drinking.” You picked up a piece of charcoal and dragged it across the page, trying to catch the relaxed slouch of the man beside you.

“but you're not enjoying the show?” Another few lines, and then you started another one. How could bones be so expressive? You wanted to touch, map it out with your fingers and figure out just how he shifted and moved.

Your fingers twitched and you realized he was waiting for an answer. “I have enough drawings of that dancer in my sketchbook…” His grin shifted as he glanced at the man on the stage who was… dancing… and stripping to the beat of some song very different than the one that was playing. 

The crowd still loved it - what he lacked in skill he made up for in enthusiasm. 

Sans hummed, turning his gaze back to you, and arched a brow. “then what are you drawing?”

You froze mid-stroke.

“Um…. you…” you smiled sheepishly. Sans looked almost startled, and you immediately started to ramble. 

“Sorry! I should have asked if it was ok! I’ve, um… It’s just that you’re really interesting, and relaxed, and I really wanted to capture that, and I don’t really get to draw many monsters and jeez, that sounds kinda rude doesn't it? I’m really sorr-” You were cut off by his deep chuckle and his hand reaching out for your sketchbook.

You looked at his hand a moment and he made a ‘give it to me’ motion once more before you nervously passed him the book.

Sans hummed, careful not to touch the sketches as he looked at the page. Well, at least he didn’t look terribly offended. He actually looked a little pleased, a light blue dusting his cheeks.

He turned the page to look at your previous sketches. “you're pretty good. i can see why you're  **drawn** to this kind of thing.” His eyes flickered to you and you were blushing at the compliment before you caught the pun.

Then you were laughing. 

“I’m not that great, really, and like… most of these are just thirty second scribbles to get the pose and figure down.”

“heh, now you make it sound like what you do is kinda…  **sketchy** . never would have  **pen’d** you for the nervous type. you looked so confident when you were drawing. kinda cute actually.” He winked at you. How the hell do skeletons wink, you will never know, but he did it. It had you blushing, and he went back to to the page where you had started to draw him.

“though, have to say. your anatomy is a bit off. heh, monster skeletons aren't like human ones, my bones are a bit thicker than this.” He was gesturing to one of the one where you had tried to figure out his structure. 

“Really? Can I see?” You blurted out before you thought better of it. The shock of blue that grew across his cheeks as he gave you a startled and surprised look was worth it. Even if you were blushing pretty hard yourself.

“heh, you really want to jump my bones, don’t ya, kiddo?” He chuckled and you opened your mouth to apologize, but he started talking again. “i enjoy watching ‘em…” He gave a pointed glance at the stage before turning his eyes back to you. “but i’m not really an exibitionist…” He arched a brow at you and let out another low chuckle.

Ooh.

Ooh!

“My apartment’s not that far away.” There you go… opening your mouth again and you're pretty sure your face was on fire.

Both of his eyebrows shot up and he sat a little straighter. He seems a bit lost for words and just as flustered as you are. 

“I don’t mean anything sexual by that! I mean, I really just want to draw you- you’re really striking and I’d love to see what's under your… ok, that sounds bad, but really I’m just super interested in you and how your anatomy works and I’d love to get some more sketches of you and figure out how you're built and I mean you're an animated skeleton, I know magic does a lot of things but really your bones look so elegant and I’d love to get a closer look-”

He stopped you, not by laughing this time but with a softer look and a touch to your shoulder. He looked positively flustered and embarrassed and you were about to try to apologize again.

“heh, jeez kid, this bag of bones can only take so many compliments. to be honest, the way your eyes light up when you draw and talk about the idea of getting at my bones… i wouldn’t mind seeing more of that, too…”

You hesitated, before laying your hand over his. His finger bones were thicker than you expected, smooth but with a texture, almost like chalk. You loved it - you couldn’t stop yourself from rubbing your thumb over his metacarpals. 

“I… have some beer back at my apartment… if you want to blow this hot dog stand…” This got a deep laugh and a light squeeze on your shoulder, but you weren't sure what was funny.

“got any katsup?”

“What college apartment is complete without the king of all condiments?” You offered a smile.

His grin widened and he leaned back, throwing back the rest of his drink. “alright then kid, i’ll let you take me home and draw me like one of your french skeletons.”

You grinned, threw back your own drink. This was probably the most surreal way you’ve ever brought a guy home before.

The walk home had been pleasant. Sans made you laugh - Sans made you laugh HARD. He was so very relaxed, it was hard to be nervous around him. But you managed, and boy were you nervous. 

But you couldn’t really blame yourself. This skeleton was so very interesting, inside and out. He was funny, he was great. He was going to let you see him at least partially naked. In your book, this was the beginning of a really weird but amazing friendship. 

As soon as you let him in, he made a beeline for the couch, and you went to the kitchen to retrieve a pair of beers and the katsup.

After he asked for it again.

Once you joined him on the couch, an awkward silence sank in. He fiddled with the katsup bottle before he finally threw back a swig.

You were impressed, disgusted, amazed and wondering why his shirt wasn’t red. 

“Where’s it go?” You should just… invest in a muzzle. He nearly choked on his katsup as he laughed at you. 

“man, kid, you're just… full of questions.” You flushed and gave a little shrug, and after he’d finished laughing he beckoned you closer. 

You leaned in, not knowing what to expect, but he simply tilted his head back and opened his mouth. His teeth were larger than a human's, and his canines looked sharper.

It was empty, like you would expect a skull’s mouth to be. It seemed more flexible though, and you found yourself leaning in. Once he was sure you were watching, he raised the bottle and squirted a good amount of the red goo in. 

It seemed to pool on a surface that wasn’t quite there, suspended in space behind his teeth as the edges started to dissolve. You were mesmerized. You were practically leaning over him, only barely registering how blue his face was and his eyes on you. 

You weren't thinking. But your brain checked out a while ago, you were functioning on childlike wonder and fascination and curiosity. All things considered, what you did next was inevitable. 

You stuck your finger in his mouth.

It tickled - no, that wasn’t quite right, it was really more of a tingle. It felt nice, shot up your arm and had a slight chill to it. Both of you let out a little surprised sound and pulled away from each other. 

“Oh. my. god. I’m so sorry!” He stopped you there, grabbing your wrist and checking your hand.

“no  **arm** done.” He gave your wrist a little shake before releasing it. “man, was not expecting you to do that.” He let his eyes drift closed and leaned back into the couch, taking another swig of Katsup.

You threw back half your beer.

“That was… something.” You finally got out.

“i’ve been told magic is something,” he shrugged, cracking an eye to look at you. You giggled and took another drink, and the silence felt a lot more comfortable this time around.

“So… how should we go about it? I mean, if you don’t want to, I’m fine with just hanging out and sharing a few beers!” You said, playing with your bottle.

He hummed, opening both eyes, and gave you a long, slow look up and down. “i’ll be honest, i’m kinda a lazy bones and i don’t really get off putting much effort into something i don’t get anything out of.” You opened your mouth, but he raised a finger to stop you.

“but yaknow, i’m pretty interested in what humans look like, too, how you guys work. yeah i got a pretty good idea from those shows, but nothing beats looking at something up close.”

You were probably on fire by the time he finished that sentence, but he wasn’t done yet.

“so how about a game? you take off something, i’ll take off something? no pressure, i’m fine just hanging around if you're not up for it.” He seemed so calm and in control, and you were a flustered mess. 

You saw a flash of worry cross his face, but before he could backtrack you stopped him.

By pointedly taking off your hoodie.

He blushed, eyes moving over your exposed arms until you cleared your throat. “I thought you wanted to play a game?” You teased, not sounding nearly as confident as you wanted to.

He chuckled, leaned back, and kicked off his slippers.

So that's how this was going to be.

Your shoes cost him his socks and you took a moment to admire his feet and ankle bones. More than once you caught yourself, fingers itching to touch, wanting to see just how articulate he was, feel how the bones moved as you rotated his ankle. But you stopped yourself. This was a looking game, not a touching game.

Your socks for his jacket. You knew the plush jacket must have added bulk, but he was still bulky underneath, more stocky than fat, though you weren't sure how a skeleton could look plump. He just… kinda did.

You wanted to see more of him, and despite how casually he lounged on the couch, his eyes were on you, so you figured the feeling was mutual. You played with the hem of your shirt, considering, before changing your mind. Standing up, you made eye contact with the skeleton on the couch. You moved slowly, and you sure you were very red when you unbuttoned your pants and let them fall to the floor.

Sans broke eye contact almost instantly, letting his eyes roam over your thighs and legs before you sat back down, now only in your undergarments and shirt. 

He had yet to remove anything, and you were about to scold him when you caught the look on his face. The soft wonder, the curiosity. You glanced at his hands and saw them twitch, it looked like you weren't the only one who wanted to touch.

You reached for your sketchbook and a stick of charcoal, sketching out that face, drawing his hands and wrists. You wanted to capture this, you needed to capture this. You were on your second page when Sans started to shift, pulling your focus away from your drawing.

He was lifting his shirt over his head, exposing his ribs and sternum, then his collarbone, and finally exposing his face once more, now very blue and refusing to look at you.

He was so very much not a human skeleton. His ribs were thicker, and he didn’t have as many as a human. Some overlapped and some fused, but there were still gaps. It gave the impression of a broad chest. His collarbones swooped away from the top of his sternum towards his shoulders and you could see a hint of his spine and shoulder blades THROUGH him. 

“Wow.” You were pretty sure you just crushed your piece of charcoal into dust.

“good wow? or bad wow?” Sans’ voice was more nervous than it had been all night, and you couldn’t help but lean forward, letting your eyes drink him in. His spine was thicker than a human's and you could see the arches of his hip bones peaking out of his shorts. 

“Good wow.”

You brought your hand up managing to stop yourself from touching just a few inches from his sternum. “Um… Can I?”

You glance up to his face and something was there, a hint of heat? Excitement? Curiosity?

“if i can.” he held up one of his pale hands, hovering it just a few inches from your exposed arm.

You didn’t answer. You just leaned in and touched him.

Your fingers met his sternum, sliding down it. It was like his other bones, almost feeling like chalk, firm and smooth. As you left a smear of black down his center you remembered crushing the bit of charcoal. 

You were about to apologize when you felt his breath catch. “Did I hurt you?” You looked slightly panicked, pulling your hand away.

“uh… heh… no. it felt nice… i’m kinda sensitive so…” 

oh...OOH! Now you felt embarrassed. 

You were pulled back to reality when you felt firm bones slide down your arm, with just enough pressure to dimple your flesh. It made you shiver in a good way.

“you’re so soft… heh.” He let out a small chuckle, fingers stopping at your wrist and pressing gently. It took you a moment to realize he was feeling your pulse. 

It made you wonder. Did he have one? He shouldn’t - he had no innards, no blood, why would he have a pulse? Your fingers still tingled from the magic in his mouth. Tracing along his ribs, you lay your palm over where his heart would be, pressing against his ribs.

You focused, there was that dull buzz of magic. Your fingers dipped in between the gaps between ribs, stroking the underside of the bone. It was smoother, the magic felt stronger, and you were pretty sure Sans just bit back a moan.

You froze but didn’t pull back, the tingling sensation up your arm almost holding you in place. Your eyes met his and you opened your mouth, a question on your tongue.

“Is… is this ok?” Judging by the dark blue of his face, the beads of sweat and the blown out look in his eyes, this was either very much ok, or very not ok.

“y-you’re going to start something you won’t want to finish, kid.” He was breathy and panting, and you thought you had a fairly good idea what he was referring to. You stroked along the inside of the bone again, earning another breathy moan from him.

“f-fuck.”

“What if I’m starting something I want to finish?” You questioned quietly, a blush heating your cheeks again as you leaned closer to him, only a few inches of distance between the two of you.

“then stop being a tease,” he growled, in a way you could get used to. It sent a shiver up your spine and you were pretty sure you saw a flicker of light inside his chest cavity. 

“No promises,” you laugh, finally pulling your fingers out and sliding them down his sternum more firmly than the first time. Little streaks and smudges of charcoal marked his white bones, showing where you’ve touched. Your hand left him for a moment only to circle his spine, fingers running over the ridges and bumps.

From the way his hand tightened on your wrist and the way he threw his head back, that was a winner. He tugged the hand he had been holding, well, wrist he had been holding, until he could press your hand against his face, letting out a breathy sigh as he nuzzled his teeth against your palm.

“Mr. Sans The Skeleton, this may come to a surprise to you but I’ve… never given a skeleton a  **hand** job before.” You wiggle your fingers against his teeth and nasal ridge to emphasise. 

His chuckle tickled your palm. “you’re doing great kid, i don’t think I need to give you any  **pointers** ,” he said, the last section right before catching your index finger between his teeth and giving it a light nibble.

You shivered, letting your hand grip his spine tighter before stroking upward into his rib cavity. You took your cues from the sounds he made and the grip he still had on your wrist. At some point, his other hand found its way to your thigh and started rubbing lazy circles against your skin. 

You touched the inside and outside of every rib, stroking squeezing and pulling every little groan, growl and moan out of him that you could. He may not have been touching you, but the thrum of his magic under your fingers and the sounds he made were enough to get you hot and bothered. 

You had a goal - the flicker of light in his chest was glowing strong now, and you were slowly working your way closer and closer. You were going to touch it.

It was a bright blue, almost white, and it gave off an almost electric chill. Sans knew what you were doing - he had stopped playing with your fingers, both his hands gripping you now as he watched you work, practically shivering and letting out gasps and groans whenever you touched a particularly sensitive area.

You hesitated, only briefly, both of you holding your breath when your fingers finally touched the bottom of that heart-shaped light.

You couldn’t describe it.

A part of you registered slight pain from where Sans was griping you too tightly. A part of you registered that the skeleton has gone rigid under your touch. A very small part.

Most of you was focused on the almost electric feeling shooting up your arm. It sent a spike of pleasure deep in your core in a way you’ve never felt before. It felt so good it hurt. You barely touched it for a second, just brushed it, and you were seeing stars.

Your hand fell, resting against the top of his pelvis, and you leaned forward until your forehead was pressed against his collarbone. You were breathing hard. Sans finally released your hand and took in a shaky breath and let it out through his teeth.

“s-shit. shit kid. fuck.” Your hand fell to his shoulder and his arms circled your waist, shifting just enough so that you were both comfortable.

“shit.” Every other breath was a curse, and you finally shifted your head enough to look at him.

He looked so at peace. It made you realize how guarded and withdrawn he had been this whole time. You liked this look on him. You wanted to draw it, but your arms were kind of jelly at the moment and it didn’t feel like he was ready to let go anytime soon.

“You should be a poet.” This earned you a chuckle and another handful of breathy curses.

“So am I right in guessing that was good?” You questioned, moving a hand to stroke the side of his face.

“fuck… yeah. that was intense. Never had a human touch my soul before…” he mumbled. He sounded… he looked like he was about to fall asleep. If what you had felt had only been the feedback from what he was feeling, you didn’t blame him.

“i should… probably return the favor.” The way he said it, with a heavy sigh, like he would very much rather not move right now, had you giggling. 

“Don’t worry about it, that was pretty intense for me too.” He let out a tired chuckle and settled back down, grumbling as you shifted to be more comfortable against him.

“good, cause I’d rather do nothing.” You snorted at this and poked his nasal ridge.

“You can just owe me one for next time.”

“there’s going to be a next time?”

“Well it's not like I got much drawing done this time.”

“well i i guess you didn’t  **ink** about that before you jumped my bones.”

“You looking for a  **gra-phite** ?”

“i suppose i could  **pencil** you in for a bad time.”

“If  ‘ur  **eraser** .”

The pair of you settled into lazy sleepy banter until he needed to go. You offered him a ride home, but he declined. Fine by you, the couch was comfy and you were ready to fall asleep. It wasn’t until he was out the door that you realized you hadn’t gotten his number.

You pouted and turned to your sketchbook. It was already turned to the first page you sketched Sans on. In the corner in easy to read, if a tad goofy handwriting, was a phone number.

That sneak. 


End file.
